Peter And Veronica: Together Forever
by autumnrose2010
Summary: Sequel to 'Peter And Veronica' by Marilyn Sachs. Adolescent friends Peter and Veronica are reunited as adults, and their friendship soon blossoms into something deeper. I always wanted Veronica to end up with Peter instead of that Puerto Rican guy she married in the series...
1. Reunion

"Congratulate me," Luis said as he sauntered through the front door. "I got a job!"

"Oh, honey, that's wonderful!" Veronica walked from the bedroom into the den. "Where is it?"

"That new ice cream parlor that just opened up a couple of blocks from here. They want me to paint pictures of cows on the walls inside."

"That's _all? _And then what?"

Luis shrugged. "Whatever."

Veronica sighed with frustration. "I'm going to the store. We need milk and eggs."

She was standing in the check-out line when she heard it. "Veronica Ganz doesn't wear pants."

"Why, yes I..." Suddenly she remembered and turned around to see him standing there grinning at her. "Peter Wedemeyer!"

"Hey!" He reached to embrace her. "How are you? It's been ages, hasn't it?"

"Forever," Veronica agreed. She and Peter had started out as enemies. After learning that she often bullied other classmates, Peter had tormented her with his teasing, always clever enough to escape her wrathful vengeance, until in the end he and two of his friends had ganged up on her and beat her up. Later he'd felt remorse for his actions and had gone to her and apologized, and she'd forgiven him and they'd become good friends.

That had been in junior high. Once high school had started, they'd slowly drifted apart and gone their separate ways. Peter had gone away to college, and Veronica hadn't seen him since then. After four years, she assumed he'd moved on with his life, never dreaming that she'd one day encounter him again in the neighborhood grocery store.

"So what are you doing now?" asked Peter.

"Dental assistant," Veronica told him. "You?"

"Just got my bachelor's degree in accounting," he replied. "Came back to visit the old neighborhood and see what it's like now before starting my serious job searching."

Their purchases completed, they left the store and began to walk along the sidewalk.

"So do you still live with your mom, or do you have your own place now?" asked Peter.

"My own place," said Veronica.

"Great!" said Peter. "Maybe I could come by sometime."

"Maybe," Veronica said vaguely. She simply couldn't think of a way to bring up the subject of Luis with him.

It had taken Peter a moment to recognize her when he'd first seen her again, but once he had, he'd been overwhelmed by how beautiful she'd become. The once too-tall, awkward adolescent had blossomed into a stunning young woman with curves in all the right places. He wondered whether she was involved with anyone but simply couldn't get up the nerve to ask her.

"So in which direction do you live?" he asked at the corner.

"Up that way." Veronica nodded in the direction of her apartment.

"I'm headed that way." Peter tilted his head in the opposite direction. "Well, it was great to see you again, Veronica. Can I call you sometime?"

"It would be better if I called you," said Veronica. "You see...there's this guy named Luis, and I'm engaged to him."


	2. Quarrel

"Oh." Peter felt his heart plummet. _Well, I couldn't really have expected her to still be available after all this time, could I have? _"Well, take care, Veronica, and maybe I'll see you around again sometime."

"I hope so," Veronica replied. She'd seen how disappointed he'd looked upon the news of her engagement and felt bad for him. She'd also assumed that he'd moved on with his life and had no idea he'd actually been carrying a torch for her all these years. She'd thought they'd both pretty much outgrown their innocent adolescent camaraderie.

She returned home and put the groceries away, noticing that Luis was asleep in the recliner in front of the television. _Figures. _She turned the television off and straightened up a bit around the apartment before starting dinner.

She couldn't get Peter off her mind for the rest of the evening.

As badly as he'd hoped he'd be able to ask Veronica out for dinner, Peter tried telling himself that it was probably for the best. His mother had always strongly disapproved of his friendship with Veronica, seeing the girl as too rough and tomboyish. Besides, she wasn't even the right religion.

"Why can't you find a nice Jewish girl?" Peter's mother had asked him over and over again. He had to chuckle when he remembered his mother's attempt to set him up with Sam and Rhoda Goldstein's daughter, Sarah. The girl had acted as if a broken fingernail was the end of the world, and she'd squealed so loudly at the sight of a dead animal by the side of the road that she'd almost made Peter have a wreck.

That night was a lovely night, with a blanket of twinkling stars against a deep indigo sky, and Peter decided to go for a stroll after dinner. He was a few blocks away when he heard voices raised in anger, then a slamming door. Curious, he peeked around the corner to see Veronica's rigid back as she angrily stalked away.

_I can't believe the nerve of that man! _Veronica fumed as she walked away. _I go out of the way to prepare a nice meal for him, and what does he do but throw it back in my face! _

She'd found the recipe for a special Puerto Rican dish that Luis had mentioned that he loved in a magazine and had carefully gathered up all the ingredients and spent a couple of hours in the kitchen making it. Luis had been upset that she hadn't used as much of a certain ingredient as he would have liked and had thrown the plate full of food at her. She'd ducked and it had hit the wall, making a huge mess on the floor.

Veronica walked and walked, blowing off steam until she felt calmer. A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she realized that these were the exact same streets she and Peter had roller skated on all those years before.

When she got back to the apartment, she saw that Luis was gone. With a heavy sigh, she cleaned up the mess on the floor and put the rest of the food away.

Peter had been home for less than five minutes when his mother called him.

"Where have you been? I've been trying and trying to reach you."

"I just went for a walk, Mom. It's really nice outside tonight."

"I was hoping you'd tell me you'd met a nice girl."

"I just got here, Mom. Give me time."

"You know Myra Greenbaum's boy Aaron just married the nicest young lady. Her father is an attorney."

"This is exactly why I didn't want to move back home, Mom. Just let me get settled, and I'll see what kind of singles events they have going on at the synagogue, all right?"

"That's my boy. I know you'll do the right thing."

Peter sighed heavily as he hung the telephone back up.


	3. Trouble

Peter had trouble falling asleep that night. He couldn't get the angry voices he'd heard shouting out of his mind. One had been Veronica's, and the other had been male. Was Luis a violent man? Was Veronica in danger? Now that he knew where she lived, he was tempted to stop by just to see if she was all right, but he didn't want to get her in trouble in case Luis was home.

He next saw her at a hot dog stand on the beach on Coney Island the following weekend. He noticed that one of her eyes looked funny, and upon closer observation, it appeared that she had tried to hide a black eye with make-up.

She saw him and smiled and waved.

"Hey! Are you all right?" he asked her.

She frowned. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "It's just that...for a minute there, it looked as if your eye might be injured."

"Oh, _that." _She laughed lightly. "I'm such a klutz. Bent over to pick something up and smashed it right into the corner of the coffee table."

He frowned but didn't say anything. They got their hot dogs and found a bench to sit on while they ate them.

"Did you have a good week?" Veronica asked.

"It was all right. I reconnected with a few old friends from junior and senior high, brought back some great old memories. You?"

She rolled her eyes. "Same old thing. Work every day. You wouldn't _believe _how grody some people let their teeth get before they finally go to the dentist."

Peter laughed.

"You've always had some of the most perfect teeth I've ever seen, Peter."

"I've always tried very hard to take good care of them. Keeps my Mom off my case. About _that, _anyway." They both laughed.

"So what else is your Mom on your case about these days, Peter?"

"Anything and everything." They finished their hot dogs and went for a stroll along the beach, talking and laughing, until suddenly Veronica's face froze in fear.

"I have to go now." Her voice quaked slightly. "Maybe I'll see you again sometime."

He watched as she raced toward a dark-haired, dark-complected man, who grabbed her arm roughly and practically dragged her away.

He waited until they were almost out of sight, then followed discreetly at a safe distance. As he neared Veronica's apartment, he heard the same voices raised in anger again, just as he'd expected that he would.

"I told you he was just a friend!" That was Veronica.

"Like hell he is!" Luis was obviously furious. "I'll teach you to run around on me!"

Peter immediately sprang into action. Finding that the door was, fortunately, unlocked, he burst into the apartment just as Luis' fist swung back. Jumping between Luis and Veronica, he took the hit squarely in the nose. The next thing he knew, Veronica was smashing a chair over Luis' head, causing the man's body to slump to the floor, unconscious.

"Peter!" Veronica screamed. "Are you all right?"

Blood poured copiously from Peter's nose. Veronica hurriedly fetched a bag of ice wrapped in a small towel and handed it to him.

"Thank you," he mumbled, holding the bag to his nose.

"Let's get out of here before he comes to!" Veronica exclaimed. They hurried to the store on the corner, where Veronica called the police and told them what had happened.


	4. Showdown

The police arrived and asked a series of questions. Veronica and Peter explained what had happened to the best of their ability. It ended with Luis being taken to the hospital by ambulance to see if his skull was fractured and Veronica being told to call them again if there was ever any more trouble.

"I'm afraid to stay here alone," Veronica told Peter after the police had gone. "He's gonna be really angry when he gets released from the hospital."

"So come stay with me," Peter urged her. "You can have my bed. I'll sleep on the sofa."

"No." Veronica was determined. "I pay the rent on this place, and I'm not about to give it up to some bully."

Peter had to smile at her usage of the word 'bully', as that was exactly what she herself had been when they'd first met as junior high students.

"All right," he agreed. "I'll stay for a few days until the dust settles." He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep at night in his own apartment wondering whether or not she was all right, anyway.

Sure enough, a few nights later, Peter was asleep on the sofa when the sound of the key turning in the lock awakened him. He dashed to hide behind the sofa but wasn't quite fast enough. All of a sudden, Luis burst into the apartment brandishing a knife. He grabbed Peter's arm as the smaller man tried to run away.

"I'm gonna cut your balls off, you little shrimp," he growled, pressing the knife against Peter's throat.

Suddenly the larger man slumped to the floor in agony. Peter turned to see Veronica standing in the hallway, a pistol in her hand. Calmly she tucked the gun in her waistband and approached Peter. "Are you all right?"

"I didn't even hear the shot," Peter said, bewildered.

"It has a silencer," Veronica told him. "I bought it right after you came to stay. I knew I'd need it soon."

"I'm sure glad you did!"

"So am I."

They had to call an ambulance again, of course. Both Peter and Veronica also had to go to the police station for questioning, but in the end it was decided that the shooting had been a case of self defense, so no charges would be filed.

'How'd you get mixed up with someone like that, anyway?" Peter asked Veronica once the ordeal was over.

"He was one of my patients," Veronica began. "He was so handsome and charming that he just swept me off my feet! In the beginning he treated me like a queen. He was always such a gentleman, holding doors open for me, things like that. I'd never been treated like that by a man before. Before Luis, guys always either resented me or saw me as pretty much just a buddy."

He saw the longing in her eyes and suddenly felt a peculiar tenderness.

"I was so in love that I didn't even notice when it started to change. Little things at first, moodiness and a lot of complaining and fault finding. I tried to rationalize it away, telling myself that he was just stressed out over not having a regular job and his ex-wife always bugging him for more money, but it just got worse and worse, and before I knew it, things were really bad, but I felt like I was stuck."

"It's your apartment. You could have just put him out."

"I tried. He refused to leave."

"Why didn't you get a restraining order?"

"It wouldn't have done any good. It would have just made him angry."

Peter took both her hands into his own and looked into her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me all this before, Ronnie?" It was the first time he'd ever called her that.

"I didn't want to dump all my problems on you, Peter."

"But that's what friends are for."

"Well, we _had _kind of drifted apart, and..." She shrugged.

"I should have made more of an effort to stay in touch."

"It was as much my fault as it was yours, Peter."

"Well, it doesn't really matter now, I suppose." He chuckled lightly. "We're back in touch now. Let's never lose touch again, OK?"

She smiled for the first time that day. He smiled back and gently brushed the hair back from her face. "It's been a rough day. How about letting me take you out to dinner?"


	5. Dinner

"I'd like that." She glanced down shyly.

"It's a date, then." Peter kissed the tip of her nose, and she blushed slightly. "Pick you up at six."

Suddenly ecstatic, he whistled all the way back home.

He was almost ready to leave to pick Veronica up when his doorbell rang. He looked through the peephole to see an expensively-dressed brunette holding a Tupperware container. Curious, he opened the door and invited her in.

"Hi, I'm Zelda," she told him. "I know you don't know me, but I'm a friend of your Mom's. She told me you were lonely and would love to meet me, so here I am! Oh, and I made you some kugel." She held the Tupperware container out to him.

Peter just stood there for a moment, shocked, but then he recovered quickly. "Uh, Zelda, it's nice to meet you and all, but I'm leaving in just a few minutes. Maybe another time, all right?"

Zelda pouted. "We couldn't just stay here and chat for a few minutes? I promise you, you'll love my kugel."

"I'm sure it's delicious, but no. I'm sorry. I can't."

Instead of leaving, Zelda just stood there. Peter began to panic, wondering what to do if she refused to leave. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

Zelda looked crestfallen. "Fine." She turned and slowly walked away, glancing back when she reached the door. "Have fun."

"Thank you." Peter went into the bathroom and hurriedly applied cologne, then locked up and left. "I can't _believe _her," he muttered.

He arrived at Veronica's apartment to find her wearing a navy blue dress with a sailor collar, with white hose and navy blue flats. Her hair was tied back with a navy blue ribbon, and she wore tiny gold earrings in the shape of sailboats. "Do I look OK?" she asked Peter nervously.

"You look fine!" He grinned as he glanced up and down appreciatively.

"You wouldn't believe what my mother just did," he told her on the way to the restaurant. He related the incident with Zelda, but instead of bursting out laughing like he expected her to, she frowned.

"Just imagine what your Mom would say if she knew that you were out with me. Remember that fuss she made over your wanting to invite me to your bar mitzvah?"

"I'm not thirteen anymore, Veronica," he said gently. "I'm a grown man, and I can do whatever I want."

Most of the rest of the trip to the restaurant was silent. Peter was busy thinking that if he continued to pursue a relationship with Veronica, his mother would eventually find out, and she wouldn't be happy about it at all. Veronica was busy thinking that as much as she enjoyed Peter's company, she didn't want to cause trouble between him and his mother. She was wondering whether she should simply bow out of the relationship before she became too deeply involved.

The soft music playing in the restaurant put them both in a mellow and romantic mood. As they sat waiting for their food to arrive, Peter reached across the table and clasped Veronica's hand. "You have beautiful eyes," he told her.

"Thank you." Veronica blushed and stared at the table top. "When we first met when we were twelve, what would you have said if someone had told you you'd be taking me out to dinner one day?"

Peter chuckled. "I would have told them they were crazy."

"Life's sure funny sometimes, isn't it?"

"It sure is," Peter agreed. "Say, didn't you have a younger brother and sister?"

"Mary Rose and Stanley. Mary Rose is doing cosmetology now, and Stanley's going into tenth grade. He's taller than I am now."

"I don't believe it." Peter placed his hand on top of his head, then moved it to Veronica's. They were just about the same height now.

"I can't believe how tall you've grown to be."

Peter shrugged. "I guess the testosterone finally kicked in."

"Mm hm." Veronica lightly ran her fingers over Peter's clean-shaven upper lip, cheeks, and chin.

He laughed. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing." Their food arrived then.

"Thank you for a wonderful time," Veronica said when they were standing outside her door.

"Thank _you," _Peter replied.

"Will you stay here with me another night? Please? I don't feel like being alone tonight."

He shrugged. "Sure." She unlocked the door, and they entered the apartment. Peter headed for the sofa, but Veronica took his hand.

"Not on the sofa, Peter," she said as she led him into the bedroom.


	6. Spending The Night

Peter was surprised, but followed her into the bedroom, where she retrieved a nightgown from a drawer. "Excuse me for just a minute," she said, disappearing into the restroom. She returned a few moments later wearing the nightgown, glanced at Peter, and then slid underneath the covers. Peter slowly undressed down to his underwear and joined her in bed.

"Will you hold me, please? I'd feel so much safer with your arms around me." For the first time, Veronica sounded vulnerable. It seemed so out of character for her that Peter could hardly believe his ears.

"Sure." He reached for her, and she went into his arms. He held her tightly, enjoying the warmth and softness of her body against his. They fell asleep with Veronica's head resting on Peter's chest.

"Thank you so much for staying with me last night," Veronica said to Peter the following morning, which was Saturday.

"It was no problem at all." Peter grinned affably. She made them breakfast, and Peter kissed her good-bye on the cheek and then returned to his own apartment. The telephone was ringing as he entered. He answered it and heard his mother's voice.

"Where on earth have you been, Peter? I tried calling you until about midnight and never got an answer."

"I was really tired last night, Mom. I guess I was so sound asleep I didn't even hear the telephone ringing."

"Well, how did it go with Zelda? I gave her my recipe for kugel. I remember how you always loved it."

"I really wish you'd check with me first before you did things like that, Mom. As it turned out, I already had plans for the night, so I had to hurt the poor girl's feelings."

"Plans? You mean, a date?"

"Yes, Mom, a date."

"How wonderful! Is she anyone I know?"

"Uh...not really."

"Well, she _is _Jewish, isn't she?"

"Uh...yeah." Peter hated having to lie to his mother.

"Excellent! Are you going to see her again?"

"Probably."

"Oh, I hope so! It's about time you met someone nice."

Peter went back around to Veronica's later that evening, telling himself that it was just to make sure she was all right. She cooked dinner for them, and then they popped popcorn and watched a movie on TV together. Peter went back to his own apartment around midnight.

On Sunday he found an advertisement for an entry level accountant in the classifieds. Monday morning, he went for an interview and was offered the job. Thrilled, his first thought was that he couldn't wait to tell Veronica the news. That night he tried to call her several times but got no answer. He wasn't able to reach her Tuesday evening either, and by Wednesday, he was frantic, fearing that Luis had been released from the hospital and had returned to cause more trouble. He went around to her apartment and found it deserted.

Thursday evening, he finally got in touch with her.

"My Mom's apartment complex caught on fire," she told him. "Mary Rose was asleep in her bedroom when it happened and was trapped. They got to her just in time. She's in the hospital being treated for smoke inhalation and second degree burns, and in the meantime, my Mom and Ralph and Stanley have to find a place to stay." Ralph was Veronica's stepfather.

"Oh, my gosh!" Peter exclaimed. "I'm sure sorry that happened, Veronica. I wish there was some way I could help."

"That's all right."

"I tried to call you on Monday to let you know that I'm going to be staying here, after all. I got a job!"

"Oh wow, Peter, that's great! What are you going to be doing?"

"I'll be working in the accounting department of a department store."

"Well, I'm really glad you're going to stay, Peter. I would have really missed you if you'd left."

"I would have really missed you too, Veronica. And I think the job is just an excuse. Even if I hadn't been offered it, I'd pretty much already decided to stay, anyway."


	7. Interference

Peter started his new job on Monday as planned, and his new boss soon came to love him just as much as his teachers always had in school. In the evenings, he helped Veronica and her family as much as he could with finding a new apartment and getting all the stuff they'd had to buy to replace the stuff they'd lost in the fire into their new apartment. As a result, he was never there when his mother called him in the evenings.

Saturday morning she called him at eight o'clock in the morning. He was sound asleep when the ringing telephone awakened him.

"Yeah?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Is that any way to talk to your mother, Peter?"

"Sorry, Mom. It's just that I've had a really exhausting week. I started a new job Monday, plus I've been helping out a friend whose family's apartment just burned down."

"A new job? What are you doing?"

"I'm working in the accounting department of a department store. The pay's great, and the people are really nice, too."

"That's my boy! I knew you could do it. I'm so proud of you, and your father will be, too, when I tell him."

"Yeah. OK." Peter yawned mightily. "Well, I gotta go now."

"Just a minute. What's this about your friend who's family's apartment burned down? Is that the same one that's been in the news?"

"Yes, Mom. Remember Veronica Ganz? It's her family."

"Oh, I hope you're not mixed up with her again." Mrs. Wedemeyer's voice sounded distinctly disapproving. "That would be just about the biggest mistake you could make."

"I'm not sure what you mean by 'mixed up', but we're friends, and right now her family needs my help."

"This isn't the girl you've been dating, is it?"

"What if it is? I'm a grown man, Mom. I can make my own decisions now."

"I'm really disappointed in you, Peter. I thought you knew better than to do this. Well, if you ever come to your senses, I know several lovely girls who'd really like to meet you."

"OK, Mom. Well, I really do have to go now. I need some rest."

Peter went back to sleep and slept until just past noon. When he awakened he was famished. He made himself a big breakfast, then took a shower and left for Veronica's family's new apartment, where he found Veronica and Stanley carrying big boxes full of household items inside while Mary Rose, who'd just been released from the hospital, sat on the sofa watching them.

"Why don't you take this into the kitchen and I'll go look for the rest of the silverware," Veronica said to her sister.

"How come I always have to do everything?" Mary Rose whined, taking the box. "Stanley doesn't have to do half as much as I do, and I'm the one who's hurt!"

"Sorry I'm late," Peter said.

"Peter!" Veronica exclaimed, noticing him for the first time. "Oh, no, that's all right! You've already done so much for us as it is..." She went to her friend and embraced him.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked, glancing at Mary Rose.

"I'd be doing a lot better if I didn't have to do so much work around here," Mary Rose complained.

"You don't do any more work than the rest of us do," Stanley said to her.

"What can I do to help?" asked Peter.

"Thank you, but I think we've just about got it all under control," Veronica told him. "Why don't you tell me about your new job? We haven't really had a chance to talk at all this week, have we?"

They visited for awhile, and Peter ended up inviting Veronica to have dinner with him at his apartment. They were in the middle of their meal when, to Peter's chagrin, his mother arrived. Peter reluctantly opened the door and let her in.

"Hello, Mrs. Wedemeyer," Veronica said politely.

"Oh, I didn't realize you had company," Mrs. Wedemeyer said. "I could just come back another time."

"No, that's all right," said Peter. "We're almost finished. Have a seat."

"I heard the dreadful news about the fire," Peter's mother said to Veronica.

"At least we're all still alive, and Mary Rose is just about recovered from her injuries," Veronica replied. "That's what's important."

Mrs. Wedemeyer waited until they'd finished the meal and cleaned up, then grabbed her son's arm.

"Please excuse us for a minute, Veronica," she said, pasting on a fake smile. "I have something very important to discuss with Peter."

"Veronica's my guest," Peter said evenly. "Anything you have to say in front of me, you can say in front of her too."

"I'll just go," said Veronica. "I don't want to be the cause of any trouble."

"No, please..." Peter began.

"It's all right, really. I'll just talk to you tomorrow, OK?" She grabbed her things and was gone before Peter could protest.


End file.
